Nic’s blog
I write about building businesses, failing and building a life, not a legacy.
Technology and the student
I found this video over at PaulStamatiou.com. Visit that post to see the image that Paul uses, it clearly illustrates the different levels of comfort that are experiences by students.For now, watch the video below. It is an interesting view/study/outlook on student life and how students are making use of technology in their lectures and every day lives.
The internet makes me a jealous prat
I am sick to shit of reading all the tech/gadget blogs that I read (Techrunch + Paulstamatiou to name two) and know that most of the gadgets they are talking about will only be released in SA within at least, at LEAST 6 months. The iPhone, the iPod touch, the PS3, Xbox 360, games, music, movies, gadgets, you name we don't have it now. We'll get it later.I want gadgets, I want to order them, buy them, use them and I want to do it all NOW, when the reviews are out.By the time we actually receive the gadgets in review there are new gadgets, upgraded ones and better ones. This is smart I might add, because we here in SA are so desperate for the gadget that we buy it as it is available and then when the newer version is released we buy that too. What a pleasure for the capitalist bums that are taking my cash!
Flock Support
There are a couple of pros and a couple of con's that come with using new, beta, niche market software. Flock is on such product that I am absolutely hooked on. I have posted about flock before, here.I am however having some issues with Flock. There is nothing wrong with the extension, the tools, the browsing accessibility or anything else that might be obvious, my problem is that Flock is stalling randomly and often. When I say stall I mean that my browsing experience comes to a complete and immediate halt. This has become such a problem for me that I downloaded an extension that allows me to recover me previous browsing session. I really can deal with the stalling occasionally, but not this often.
I have sought help. I went on to the flock forums and posted about me troubles, a couple of other people showed interest in helping and all the rest but nothing has come of it. Eventually I must admit another huge, massive and incredible pro of using small, beta, niche products; I have been receiving personalised emails from the Flock staff, the support staff and others attempting to help me out. They are so hell bent on me sticking with their product that they are going out of their way to help me, on person, stay with them.Lets see Microsoft show this kind of dedication to their customers. I don't think so, I may be wrong, but I doubt it.
TechAttack #3 - coComment
Talk about it. Thats what coComment allows you to do, talk and view what you have spoken about and where. I stumbled across this interesting site on Paul Stamatiou's blog. Straight out of the horses mouth, here is how coComment explains itself:
coComment is a service which will help you track, organize, and share all your comment-based conversations on the web.
I am currently signing up to make use of coComment and will provide updates as I get in to using it. Apparently the way it works is that everytime you post a comment on any site (Blog, Flickr, News site etc) coComment will make a copy of the comment and save it in your personal folder at coComment. You can then visit this folder and trackback your own progression through conversations. You can also be alerted to any new comments on the same thread.I think this is a fantastic tool since I spend alot of time checking back on sites that I have made comments as well as checking my mail for alerts on threads.More to come soon.
PS3 Release
Watching Sky news and they are previewing the new PS3. It looks amazing. The word on the street is that Americans are queing up outside Toys R Us just to PRE-order these things. Apparently without a high definition TV owning a PS3 is pointless. High definition basically means looking at a plasma tv, flatron vibe. PS3 is apparently only getting to the UK in March next year.
Interesting stuff. Strange that the Xbox 360 and new Nintendo gamebox have already been released (Xbox 360 has been out for a year), while PS3 is holding out. Personally I would think that this is a mistake, but I don't work for Sony so what do I know. But as a user and Xbox fan I would not purchase an Xbox 306 to only a year later purchase a PS3. Im an Xbox man and think I most probably always will be.
The Fan, The Fan
I recently (5/6 Months ago) purchased a brand-spanking-new Mecer Laptop. Top of the range, all the specs are present that any user would need (too many, too boring to go through one by one just trust me, they're all there).
Everyone is aware of the Sony Battery debacle; explosions, fire, mini nuclear explosions just about. "Cool," I thought, "this could never happen to me." And it hasn't... yet. My keypad started heating, the fan became clearly audible (not in that "is it on, can I really hear it" sort of way) to the extent that it startled me when I started up the laptop. Now this combined with heat issue have started me worrying about the state of my fairly new laptop.I am so concerned that I will lose everything that tonight I am backing up all my usefull stuff (usefull is a loose term that is very relative at this point) to my external hard drive. Thank however is up there for these little beauts.Then tomorrow I am off to Midrand to get my sick puppy looked at and hopefully fixed. What admin, what a mess, what fuss.
8am on a Saturday
It's 8am, it's Saturday, I went out last night but I am awake. Why you may ask, am I awake? Well the answer is simple, I live in a Town-house complex and apparently they don't like people sleeping in town-house complexes.You see the joy of living in a town-house complex such as mine is that you share a wall with your neighbour. I am not talking about a perimeter wall, I'm talking about a shared living room, bedroom, bathroom wall. My moronic neighbour seems to dislike me because at 7:30am this morning he decided it was a good time to start drilling and grinding and hammering on this shared wall. I am sure that he loves the fact that his Saturday has started out being productive. But how about being silently productive? Pray, walk around the house, use the internet, phone, radio, cook, clean, wash, have sex, noisy sex if you like, JUST DON'T FUCKING DRILL AND GRIND AT 8AM IN THE MORNING!
Viewgle - The ShutterView Search Engine
Google Co-Op allows any user with a google account to create and customize their very own search engine. I have created "Find a view" that is visible in my sidebar. Give it a go, see if its worth anything, let me know what you think. Can't promise anything, will try to a more detailed one as time goes on.The interesting thing about this tool is that you have the option to allow any user to update the search engine, or you can simply allow invited guests to help you develop your own search engine. Lets see how it goes!
Flock Extensions - Magic
I have just downloaded a couple of Flock extensions that have made me very happy. One is the international weather forecaster, the best one I've used yet. The other is a built in media player controller so I never have to leave the browser, even to change music. Then I have the "Performancing" tool, which is a pop-up tool at the footer of the browser that you click and it opens up your regular looking blogger interface for posting. It looks, feels and works just like blogger and hopefully will continue to do so.Loving Flock inspite of trying Firefox 2.0. For some reason FF2 or any FF for that matter stalls a heck of a lot on my laptop. Not blaming FF at all, its probably something stupid I did, but the other browsers (Opera, IE7 and Flock) that I have tried work fine.
powered by performancing firefox
Last FM Update
I have posted about Last FM before. But I really do feel the need to update my views on this product. It has revolutionised the way that I listen to and gather my music. While listen to my music through ITunes, Last FM picks up the song, "scrobbles" it to their data base and in turn provides you with tags for the music, an artist "About" section, the artist name, song title and album title as well as CD cover art.
It also provides you with the the most incredible feature, Last FM suggests similar music the music you are listening, it takes you to the various suggested bands sites hosted by Last FM where you can listen to the music and see if you like it. This tool alone has changed the way that i source new music. I am not only finding underground, never before heard of bands, but I am finding the bands in the genre's that I am currently in the mood for. My music collection is becoming in depth, diverse and full. Just the way I like it.
Below is a screen shot illustrating Last FM telling me about the band Trapt.
Blogged with Flock
Google Share price reaches 9 month High
Not only has Google's share price recently reached $459,67, but it has surpassed HP, the worlds largest technology company's market value of $108 billion, at $143 billion.This is unbelievable. I picked up the Google Share Price Story on the MG online earlier.I have some questions and concerns about this whole Google issue that I hope someone can clear up, answer, share in my fears or something, I dunno. When does Google stop? Is Google becoming the new Microsoft in terms of industry monopolies? What happened to Google aiming to push the envelope of technology development, now all they do is acquire ideas they couldn't do themselves. They seem to have lost a bit of their spunk and exuberance as a cutting edge company.I am obviously speaking from the opinion of someone who is simply a web user, not a web proffessional, and it concerns me that there is no competition on a major level to Google. It concerns me that my life online is somewhat dependant on making use of now and newly acuired google products. In fact, I am using one right now... blogger. hmmm. mainstream is not the way, mainstream is just not the way.
No One Like Me
I always thought that there was no one in the world like me. My Genius has finally confirmed this for me. The net-community website My Genius has a feature that allows you to search for people who are like you are... I tried this feature. I came back and told me that there is no one like me out there!!
Here is the screenshot:
Blogged with Flock
WatalotIpod
I have eventually finished my "WatalotIpod" section in my sidebar. In this feature I make use of Itunes 7 and Last fm to generate a feed of my most recently played songs. I am online alot these days and I personally love this little feature.
Last Fm is incredible and will suggest songs similar to what I am listening to at the moment. very cool scrobbling program.
Blogged with Flock
BugZilla
Found this image from an optical illusion site:
The map in the background is from Google Earth the insect is from... well... there are no definates on that one as of yet.
Point your Google Earth to these coordinates and you can probably see this wonder for yourself: 48.857635, 10.205424 and 0.001193,0.005322 (Germany).
Blogged with Flock
Is the Net better?
I was emailed a few questions by a scholar at UKZN who is interested in the website that I own and run. The questions are not Earth shattering but they do spark some kind of interesting debate surrounding the difference between a newspaper in print vs newspapers online, newswires online vs newspapers online and generally online vs print.
I am not going to enter in to major debate about whether print is dead or not as I am not an authority on this topic in any way shape or form, plus I think that Vincent might physically harm the next person who discusses that topic!! But there are many opposing views about this topic.
The question and answers went as follows:
How did Studentwire come about?
Studentwire started as a thought after the Captivate Student MediaConference 2005. 2 students, Carly Ritz and Gregor Rohrig asked me to getinvolved with them on a blog idea. The blog became Studentwire, Studentwire'smanagement became 2. The idea grew in to a website which evolved in to abusiness and an education and development organisation.
How did student papers take to it?
It took me months and months of preparation, emails, phone calls andpitching to get the student Editors involved. It was not that they disliked theidea, many of them were simply concerned to place their content online. Oncethe concept was properly explained and the newspapers began to realise thebenefits they all jumped on board. At present we have approximately 13different campus newspapers contributing news on a regular basis. That is morethan any website in South Africa.
How do feel aboutwhat Jo's Toolkit is doing?
I think that Jo's Toolkit is a wonderful initiative that has greatvalue to journalism on grassroots and community levels. They provideorganisations like student newspapers and community papers with much neededadvice and support from industry professionals. They also manage to open dialoguebetween various parts of the journalism industry. Studentwire can definitelybenefit from a site like Jo's and vice versa I think.
Have read NUX? if sowhat are thoughts on it?
I have read Nux. I enjoy reading Nux as I feel that the content isparticularly poignant to students. However, personally I think that Nux has toomuch of a magazine layout. I am more of a hard news fundi. I enjoy the straightforwardness of a daily publications layout. With that said, I do think that Nuxhas great management and editorial staff so I believe that they are in controlof what they are doing and are catering for their target market successfully.
Do think print isgoing to die?
I personally do not believe that print is going to die, at least notany time in the near future. Firstly I think that there are millions of peoplewho enjoy picking up a newspaper and reading it with their cup of coffee in themorning. Secondly I think that the Media industry is going to take time toadjust to the online way of things. I do however believe that major mediahouses ignore the online/new media wave at their peril. I think it i s a matterof jump on board or watch the boat float by and miss it forever.
Is the Net better?
I do believe that in terms of frequency new media is definitely abetter medium. As far as I can see and as far asStudentwire is concerned, I do not keep regular office hours. I work wheneverstudents have news to publish. While print has set hours where people work ornot, ofcourse that is unless there is a ground breaking major story that needs attention. Online is 24/7 or as close to that as possible. I do think that Print atthe moment has entrenched itself in society to such an extent that if a storyis read in print then it carries more weight. Hence at present i think print isstill seen as better or more important. But that is changing in a BIG BIG way.
Do ever see a Studentwire type thinghappening offline? In Print?
I do predict that a national newspaper will exist, very soon in fact. Ihave gotten wind as to one being started by a major news agency but I am not atliberty to say who right now. That as far as I know, will be a nationalnewspaper, not a national news agency. Studentwire is a newswire for students,very much like SAPA but with a more interactive user interface. We provide newsto newspapers from all over the country as well as provide news to readers allover the world. I do not believe that anyone will be able to accomplish thiswithout making use of the internet.
From my limited experience of online media vs print, I think that there are many differences and many similarities. However, what interests me right now is the differentiation between an online newsWIRE and an online newsPAPER. I think they are different and need to be treated differently by the public, investors, proffesionals and advertisers.
Music 2.0
Last.fm is an amazing initiative that i discovered through Mark Comerford's blog MarkMedia.
Download the Lastfm software to your pc/laptop/mac, install and start "scrobbling". Scrobbling is the term that Lastfm has coined to explain thier concept. when you scrobble, you play music from your media player (Itunes, WMP, Winamp etc etc etc) that is then picked up and stored in the LastFM server and made available for other users to view.
Now, you can join groups of users with similar interest, find stations that these users have compiled and listen to their choices. find music similar and new to the music you like. Its an incredible musical network!
You can also enter "Journal" entries about music and gigs, live shows and rants about instruments if you so feel, somewhat of a blogging feel to your user profile.
Have a look at my first journal entry here: Jump, Little Children - Journal - Last.fm
Blogged with Flock